Impossible Choice by Sybil Bartel (Unchecked #2)
Published by: Carina Press
Publication date: August 31st 2015
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Stars: 4 ****
The Blurb
Book two of Unchecked
When Layna sees the jagged wounds covering his body, every truth she thought she knew is destroyed. Blaze is distant and angry and though her heart is shattered, Layna desperately tries to keep their relationship together in the face of another tragedy. When the tenuous bonds holding them together are ripped apart by a revenge-hungry maniac, Layna must trust her survival instinct and bury her past for good.
But the enemy is two steps ahead, and before she can take action, Layna’s hand is forced by his deadly demands—save herself or save the man who risked his life for her freedom. Blaze saved her once. This time it’s her turn to protect him.
My Thoughts
I was lucky enough to take part in the blog tour for the first book in the Unchecked series, Impossible Promise, a book that swept me away so I was really happy to be able to take part in the blog tour for Impossible Choice. You can check out the rest of the tour over on Xpresso Book Tours here.
So in Impossible Promise we met, Layna Blair in the aftermath of her parents murder. She was running scared until she met Blaze, a brooding marine with some of issues of his own and along with his friend, Talon, they were able to lay some of the ghosts from Layla's past to rest.This book picks up right where book one finished, Blaze has been deployed to Afghanistan and he leaves Layna back in her family home in Miami. With Blaze 1000 of miles away, Layna spends her time battling with her loneliness and no longer on the run she is struggling to get her life back to normal. Layna isn't on her own for long though as Blaze comes home earlier than expected.
Unfortunately for Layna & Blaze her ghosts return and this time it's Layna having to rescue Blaze as those that had helped try to destroy Layna after her parents death no have Blaze firmly in their sights. The couple once again face some enormous problems that they will have to overcome if they ever want to be happy, problems that have to be faced head on in order for the two of them to ever have a future.
I love the character of Layna, she swings around all over the place - one minute she is feisty and loud and at other times her fragility overwhelms her and she begins to distrust anyone and everyone.There is still an amazing chemistry between Layna and Talon and it is the strength of this bond between the two of them that has really left me struggling with how I feel about Layna & Blaze's relationship. For a great part of the book I was still finding it difficult to connect with Blaze as a character, it took me quite a while to warm to him. I think part of that is that it feels to me that he sees Layna as a possession, something that is his to own but my feelings did begin to thaw towards the end of the book when I realised just how much he loved Layna.
In Impossible Choice we learn a little more about Talon's past and how that feeds into his relationships with women. It becomes apparent that Layna reminds him of someone and this began to throw in some doubt for me about Talon's motives when it came to Layna. This was probably the one thing that made me realise that despite all the warmth and chemistry between Talon and Layna maybe they just aren't meant to be. Sob!
I could not put this book down and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it. Bartel has a way of sucking you right in with her writing, a fantastic plot and some truly engaging characters. It is a powerful story that has a wonderful intensity. In my opinion you really need to read the first book in the Unchecked series to fully appreciate the characters and what they've been through.
I really hope that Sybil Bartel will be writing more in this series even though it appears that Layna's and Blaze's story is all wrapped up. I really need to know how things end up for Talon, secretly I'm hoping that Layna will realise her mistake and realise she is madly in love with Talon. A girls can hope right!
About The Author
Sybil Bartel grew up in Northern California with her head in a book and her
feet in the sand. She dreamt of becoming a painter but the heady scent
of libraries with their shelves full of books drew her into the world of
storytelling. She loves the New Adult genre, but any story about a love so
desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful makes her swoon.Sybil now resides in Southern Florida and while she doesn’t get to read as much as she likes, she still buries her toes in the sand. If she isn’t writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in her backyard, you can find her spending time with her handsomely tattooed husband, her brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer…
But Seriously?
Here are ten things you probably really want to know about Sybil.
She grew up a faculty brat. She can swear like a sailor. She loves men in uniform. She hates being told what to do. She can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaks her out. Her favorite word is desperate…or dirty, or both—she can’t decide. She has a thing for muscle cars. But never reply on her for driving directions, ever. And she has a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell her husband.
To find out more about Sybil Bartel, be sure to follow her on Twitter (she loves to hear about your favorite book boyfriend!), visit her website, like her on Facebook or join her Facebook group Book Boyfriend Heroes for exclusive excerpts and giveaways.
Twitter / Website / Facebook / Facebook Group / Goodreads
Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
- $25 Amazon Gift Card
Lovely review, Sam! This sounds like a really good series and I love how character oriented it sounds! Def right up my alley!
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